Mayor Rahm Emanuel has faced increased scrutiny in the wake of the Laquan McDonald controversy. McDonald was shot and killed by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October of 2014. After dash-cam footage of the incident was released in November of last year, there was a large public outcry for Emanuel's resignation.

In March, Chicago Magazine released their "Power 50" issue with Preckwinkle at the top of the list. Emanuel ranked second.